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Jeffrey Klassen

Professor Kanter

Communication Skills 1016

January 23, 2007

Self Evaluation for a Narrative Speech

I gave my narrative speech on a drinking experience that happened to me my

junior year of high school. I told this story from the perspective of one who was both

negatively effected and learned a lot from the consequences of this experience. The

message of my speech was to communicate to my audience the less glamorous side of

underage drinking and the possible negative outcomes that could result from underage

drinking. My audience my Communications Skills class and my goal was to entertain my

audience. I believe my presentation went very well.

My speech was about underage drinking. I wanted to grab my audience’s attention

right away, so I opened my speech by asking the audience, “How many of you have been

caught drinking?” This grabbed the audience’s attention right away. My speech matched

my MAP decisions. I feel that the speech portrayed my intended message. I believe that

through the account of the specific and not so glamorous details of this story, I was able

to make my audience aware of the darker and less appealing side of drinking. My speech

was effectively aimed at my Communications Skills class. The topic was one that

probably many of the audience members could relate to because it can be assumed that

most of them consume alcoholic beverages on a weekly basis. I also curtailed my diction

to my specific audience. I did this by using informal phrases such as “buzz” and “throw-
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up” in my speech. I feel that this story also entertained my target audience. I got this

feeling based on the periodic laughs that could be heard in the classroom.

In addition to appropriate content and organization, I believe that the speech was

delivered effectively. I came to the table with an engaging story. This provided me with a

good basis from which I could build my speech. From that point, I focused on telling the

story naturally. Telling the story naturally allowed me to use a varying tone of voice, hand

gestures, keep eye contact with audience members, and use interesting diction. My visual

aid helped drive my point home. By presenting to the class a shot glass that I looked at to

remind me of the mistake I made, I made it hit home that I was serious about my decision

to not drink.

I believe the overall quality of my presentation was strong. I believe I deserve a

“B” on this presentation. I deserve a “B” because I obeyed the project’s format and

organizational constraints, I used the correct visuals, and I had a very compelling and

interesting speech. There were some things I could have done better. These include

eliminating the word “um” from my speech, using entirely correct diction, and

maintaining better eye contact with my audience. In my next speech, I will work on better

eye contact with my audience and perfecting my diction. Because of this speech, I will be

much less nervous while giving future speeches.